Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-06-26
THE GOLD FEVER OF 40.
The speck of Metal that started
the Excite ment.

The original cause OF the ereat Caie
fornia gold fever--the first fever germ
is at the National Museum. 1t is Sc.
curely sealed in little glass bottle, and
there Is no longer any danger of contag
ion. according to the Washington Star.
It IL lite fattened piece of gold about
the size of O gold dollar. 1t is the piece
found by Marshall while digging mill
race the year before the fever set in. 1t
was sent direct to the Smithsonian in
August. l84S. The following is copy
of the letter that accompanied 1t:
ssSAN FRANCISCO, Aug. %, 1885,
This paper contains the fret piece of
gold ever discovered in northern part OF
Upper California. 1t was found in Feb
ruary, lS48, by James w. Marshall, in
the race of Capt. John A. Suffers saw
mill, about forty five miles from Suffers
Fork, on the south branch of the Amer
lean Fork. 1t was beaten out with
hammer by Mr.. Marshall to test its
malleability. 1t is presented to the
National Institute, Washington, D. G:
j. L. FOLSOM"
J. L. Folsom was a captain in the
United States service. There are many
pieces Of gold in California claimed to be
the first found, but none of them have
the facts in favor of-their claim. The
discovery of this piece of gold by Mar
aholl led to the search for more, and it
was found. 1t was the seed that up to
1880 had produced $1,000, 900, 900 in
gold. Prior to this discovery Indians
and a few missionary priests had been
collecting some gold in other parts of the
State, but this was the very first piece
found in the gold belt, and it led to the
great rush to California in '49
DR.. R. M. Dawes, the dentist of West
Washington, was one Of the forty
miners who started out from Washing.
ton. He was talking over the ma tier
with Star reporter for a little while
last evening.
"a party of u.s." he said, "took a
sailing vessel at Baltimore in March,
and we were seven months and fourteen
days making the trip to San Francisco.
There were my brother aud ex-senator
Sargent, then local reporter in Wash
ing .on, one or two other Washington
boys and myself, and there were quite
number of others from Baltimore to
make up the party. That was the way
Sargent first went to the State he after
ward represented in the Senate. We
had q pretty hard voyage. The captain
of the vessel treated us SO badly that
when we got to Rio de Janeiro, we COM
planned to the Consul and had him re.
moved. This caused delay of fourteen
days. Then ct Valparaiso we had to
unload q steam engine and other cargo,
which caused delay of twenty days
n uyn he
fore we got to San Francisco. Sargent
did not go all the way with us. He got
off at Valparaiso, and from there sailed
to San Francisco in another vessel. l
remember that he studied Spanish all
the way from Baltimore to Rio de
Janeiro.
"When we arrived at San Francisco
several of our party who were carpen.
ters stopped there. They got SIG day
for working at their trade there, and
thought it better than taking the
chances in the mines. There were six
in my party who went into prospect.
ing. Everything was fever and excite.
ment there then. All sorts of sensa.
tional reports of big finds were circu.
lated, but there was not as much
outlawry as many people suppose. In San
Francisco there was considerable gam.
bling. It was not much of o city then.
All the buildings were frame and the
gambling houses were like the frame
barracks they put up for soldiers. The
gaming. rooms were in front and the bar
in the rear. Gamblers would pay $50 a
night for each table. They never
counted the money, but just stacked 1T
up on the table and measured 1t in that
way. The gamblers were the only men
who wore white shirts.
"There were no courts. II man
committed an offence in the diggings he
was tried by twelve men selected for the
occasion, and their decisions were
prompt and Just. For that reason there
were few crimes committed. Our gold
was left in camp without any one to
guard II and it was never stolen.
would sometimes leave days digging in
q pan out in the sun to dry. No one ever
disturbed it. For serious crimes the
Jury of twelve would hang man; for
petty larceny they would horsewhip
him and give him twenty-four hours TO
get out Of camp. If man sunk pit
and threw a pick or shovel in it, he
could 90 on prospecting, and If ne
returned any time within ten days, he
would find his claim to the diggings
respected.
"When our party landed" he con.
tinued, I'VE went to Sacramento, where
we got three yoke of oxen and wagon
that had come overland, and started for
the diggings, we'll stocked with provis.
Erof n Saukh E,rly
then to North Fork or Feather River.
There was so much mud that we had
to abandon our cattle and wagon
and carry our packs on our backs
We did pretty well, but was
sick and had to keep out of the
trenches and give up mining for a
while. When we dissolved partnership
at North Fork sack of -four fell to my
share, and I sold it for $500. then
bought boat and gun, and shot quail
and Jack rabbits and sold them in San
Francisco. Quail brought 81 and IS
per dozen dead and $l2 alive and jack
rabbits 81 and So each. The second
time went back to San Francisco TIE
cholera was raging there. Men were
dropping dead like sheep.
II went into the diggings again, and
we came across big rock near middle
fork standing high out OF the water,
which whirled in swift eddy around it
We knew If there was any gold in that
locality it would be right in that eddy.
So we filled bags with sand, made dam
to turn the water aside, SO we could get
at It. The very first dip of my pan
brought up $2lS worth of gold. After
working there week we divided up and
each got 5000 as his share. There were
six of VI.
"After we got that hole worked out
we began on the high banks, and it paid
we'll, but the work was too dangerous.
There were large loose rocks overhead,
and one day I just saved myself by
swinging to o ledge in time to let one
pass under me as it rolled down the bank.
After that we stopped work there. The
next rich place we struck was in Onion